Category: Walk for Hope

Be the Cause –
On behalf of the Village All Stars, I wanted to thank you for an excellent event! I can’t begin to express how meaningful this event was to us. Many of the people in our group don’t have the opportunity to participate in 5K events because of the high registration fees. We coordinated a training team where people registered for $10 for 5K training. We used the training fees to donate to one of the charities sponsored by Be the Cause. Not only did your event give us the opportunity to get in shape, it allowed us to give to a worthy cause, reflect on the times when we needed extra help and appreciate those who were there to give it to us. Thank you for all your hard work, inspiration and the opportunity to “pay it forward.”

Sincerely, Lynne O’Brien

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Dear Be-The-Cause Friends,

Thank you for yet another wonderful Walk for Hope! All of us from the Bayarea (and Houstonnn! :)) really felt the love you put into it.

For us, the whole weekend was a losing battle in paying forward what we kept on receiving! It all started with a bar of chocolate on our pillows at 1:30AM on Friday and it never quite stopped. From the artistic quotes to the reflective activities to the Gurudwara-blessed food, the walk felt like gigantic offering of unconditional love. We pulled off some tags to random folks (including the musicians whose album name was appropriately life-is-good!). And then the after-party kept on rocking with random sandwiches flying in from confused-yet-smiling staff at Royal Cup, yum-yum chocolate cake for everyone in the house, its-a-good-life tag for mr. life-is-good himself, a memorable “sell-out” night for Mister B and his wife Kathy, a premier of a gift-economy film by Silas (and a viewer’s offer to print his first 100 DVD’s), the non-stop hugs, and the eighteen other small, underground activities that were (and still are) in the works! The whole thing is just over the top. And what you guys have started at El Dorado park never really stopped. It’s still going on. Northern California is a hang-over state … thank you. :)

Some photos from our trip (and a few more) are online, and I’m sure Silas will send out a clip to his movie shortly.

May your offerings return back to you thousand-fold (and may you give those away too :)),

Nipun

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Dearest and Beautiful Sukh,
Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to participate in The Walk for Hope yesterday. The rain gods did hear you as the sky opened up in all its blue.
The walkers for Tias Arms were very inspired on the walk again this year. Your team does very well in helping us all become reflective with the special quotations and messages and actions along the way.
With the opportunity you provide (and it’s a lot of hard work, I know), we are able to continue to raise the funds that we do in order to sustain our out-reach to the children affected by Aids, in South Africa.
Just one smile from just one child, makes it all worthwhile. Thank you for your help.
With love, Joanne (Tias Arms)

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We had a ton of fun and everyone was sooo friendly and the food was awesome tasty. I will definitely be there supporting you guys next year too!

Thanks Shwe!
–David and Friends

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everything was well organized…and very nice…
my son made the walk a few years ago and recommended it…
i will be re-reading the quotes…
thanks again…
— peace ray

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I really enjoyed the walk for hope. I ended up coming late (around 12noon) so I missed the lunch and alot of stations were closed, but I got to see the quotes and the hope tree. I brought a friend along and we both got wet in the rain, but it was an incredible experience. Everything was green and lovely. The best way to spend a Saturday afternoon in my opinion. It is really an incredible service you are doing for community. I think I enjoy each walk more and more, because I feel so uplifted afterwards. I am sure many others felt the same. It’s just what we need in our society, where love and compassion are not emphasized. Its the combination of the positive quotes, nature, and of course wonderful people that I really enjoyed :).

Varuna

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The Walk for Hope on Saturday was AMAZING an will be the source of good memories and inspiration for some time to come….. being able to share it with Dai Le, Mom and others from the Be The Cause group for “multiple years” seems to offer comfort and a sense of continuity….. I’m hoping my camera will “show up” so I can share some of the “memories”……
— Bill Louis

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We wanted to let you know what a wonderful event the Walk for Hope was and how much we enjoyed being involved! From the engaged participants, to the music, to the wonderful food, it was a great atmosphere to share our cause. Thanks so much for letting us be a part of the love and hope you are spreading throughout the world.

All the best,
Ashley A. Herron
Run for Mobility Recruiter
Free Wheelchair Mission

The Walk for Hope is a reflective journey that leads the walker along a park path decorated with handmade expressions of love and famous quotes, all selected with care for their insight and inspiration. In addition, there are several activity stations set-up along the beautiful path to give each walker the opportunity to pause, interact, reflect and sow new seeds of change. Here is a brief description of each activity station:

Activity Station #1:   Leaf to Self & Hope Tree

The Walk for Hope is a reminder to us all of the things that matter most in life: love, compassion, truth, peace, unity, family and hope for all that is good. Each new day is an opportunity for us to be the change we wish to see in the world. With this in mind, when you enter into this first activity station, you will be given a paper leaf to write a note or a letter to the most important person you know: YOURSELF!   Write down your hopes, your dreams or simply what you wish to change from within. As you hang your leaf on our Hope Tree, ponder upon and plant the seeds of change deep within your heart. By the conclusion of our Walk for Hope event, our amazing Hope Tree will have been magically transformed with hundreds of colorful leaves, each with it’s own inspiring message to a very special recipient: YOU!  Next summer, you will receive your leaf in the mail along with a picture of our beautiful Hope Tree. May this gift put a smile on your face and warm your heart as the memories of this year’s walk begin to flow through your mind. As you read your leaf to self, may you be filled with joy knowing that the seeds of change which were planted months ago, have now blossomed from within. May it also serve as a reminder of how important you are and that each individual can and does make a difference in transforming our home, community and world. 

Activity Station #2:   Best Wishes Cards

The Walk for Hope seeks to create a venue in which individuals may feel, in a very real way, the interconnectivity of life. The quotes along the walk path remind us of the bond that we all share with one another through the thread of hope. Another dimension of this bond is that we have the very powerful gift of being able to share one another’s suffering – that we are able to find support in our fellow man in times of sorrow and struggle as well as those of joy and triumph. With this in mind, Be The Cause is creating a way to connect people on that level across the globe, through the Best Wishes Cards activity station. From Africa to Sri Lanka, Malaysia to Pakistan, Greece to the Philippines, a selection of individuals and groups from around the world will be presented to the walkers, and their stories shared with those at El Dorado park that day. The walkers will then have the opportunity to create a card that will be sent to these recipients, spreading love and compassion all around the world through a bit of construction paper and ink…. creating a heart-to-heart connection with our global family. 
 

Activity Station #3:   Kindness Garden

Inspired by the picture on our Walk for Hope brochures and posters, which depicts a walker taking steps and moving forward in her journey through life, unaware that her kindness and good deeds has caused a trail of blooming flowers in the hearts of all that she has encountered along the way. With this in mind, on the last mile of your walk, each participant will enter into the Kindness Garden and pick a beautiful, handmade daisy to take with you as a remembrance of your experience at the Walk for Hope… turn that daisy over to reveal a Random Act of Kindness to continue spreading joy and beauty in the world.  Although we may never fully know how our own lives and the lives of many others on our path of service may be touched by the things we do… keep on doing… keep on walking… keep on serving!! 

We wish to express our gratitude to Manav Sadhna (a WFH beneficiary in India) and all their kids in the Earn N’ Learn program, for creating the hundreds of handmade daisies for our unique garden. May the love and care that they have put into each beautiful flower cause a blossoming of more love and kindness within your heart to share with everyone you encounter on your own journey through life.